This invention relates to veterinary techniques, and in particular to diagnostic techniques relating to hip joint disease dogs.
Canine hip dysplasia, CHD, is a common orthopedic disorder of dogs. The condition results in pain and discomfort in dogs, and reduces the mobility and useful working life of the dog. The problem of CHD is especially prevalent in purebred dogs. It has been suggested that the rate of CHD in the German Shepherd breed, for example, is anywhere from 23% to 69%. CHD afflicts guide dogs and other working dogs, as well as pets and show dogs.
CHD has long suspected to be a heritable trait. However, CHD generally afflicts dogs later in life. As a result, at a relatively young breeding age, a dog may lack the hip joint discomfort and loss of mobility symptomatic of CHD, and have no radiographic evidence of CHD, but still be genetically predisposed to development of CHD later in life. As a result, diagnosis of CHD in dogs does not provide the breeding community with sufficient guidance on whether the offspring of a given dog of breeding age will have offspring that are genetically predisposed to CHD.
Consequently, it is desirable to develop a technique for determining in a dog of relatively young age, the likelihood such a dog will develop CHD later in life.
The use of radiographic techniques for diagnosing of CHD will require accurate reading of radiographs. Consequently, it is desirable to develop new tools to assist in the accurate reading of radiographs.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an improved method for determination in a relatively young dog, of the later development of CHD.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved gauge for reading radiographs in the method of the invention.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment which follows.